Z4
by t.j.guard
Summary: Zenon's world is in upheval mode extreme when she's asked if she wants to be cloned, so she seeks help from the only person she could think of: Proto Zoa. PZ/Z
1. Chapter 1

Z4

Disclaimer: I don't own Zenon.

A/N: PZ/Z

Chapter One

Zenon walked through the corridor, pressed a button on the edge of the door frame, and waited for the door to fully slide open before stepping inside. She tossed her bag on the couch and pulled out her zap-pad, turning it on and studying the Advanced Technology textbook she'd had downloaded on it.

About forty-five minutes in, her zap-pad went off, and she answered to none other than Mark and Astrid, her parents.

"Zenon," Mark said, "could you meet us in the core?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"We can't tell you over the phone," Astrid replied, but we have your aunt and uncle here, too."

"Must be important major. I'll be right down."

"Okay, we'll see you soon."

"See you, baby," Astrid said, and Zenon hung up.

She walked down one of the connector corridors to the core, where she found not only Judy, Commander Plank, and her parents, but Dasha, as well. "Cetus lapetus. What are you...all...doing here?"

"How do you feel about cloning?" Astrid asked.

"Like how? Are you cloning a whole person?"

"Yes," Commander Plank said.

"Hey, wait, where's General Hammond?"

"He's on an important mission for the United States, which he has to complete alone."

"That's convenient major," Zenon muttered. "So, what's being cloned?"

"We were thinking of cloning you, in all but your memories, since we can't duplicate those."

"Me? Cetus lapetus, are you crazy major?"

"Yeah," Dasha said, "are you in sanity mode minor?"

"Actually, I've given this a lot of thought," Commander Plank said. "We just need Zenon's consent to clone her."

"What for?"

"For strictly experimental purposes, of course, which is why the project will be supervised by top scientists and medical professionals."

"That's calming minor. What about Proto Zoa?" Zenon asked.

"Excuse me?" Commander Plank and Mark Karr asked at the same time, both with furrowed brows.

"If you're serious major about cloning me, I want Proto Zoa there, and a little time to think about it before I make a decision."

Plank and Mark exchanged a glance, but Plank nodded and said, "Alright."

"Go, Zenon," Dasha shouted, pumping her fist in the air in victory.

"The decision is yours to make, in any event," Mark said. "Meeting ajourned."

The Karrs and Commander and Judy Plank filed out of the core chamber and down separate corridors, and Zenon returned to her dorm room, where she pulled her zap-pad out and zapped the only person she could think of to get to for advice.

"Oh, well, guess who's here," Proto Zoa said with an ear-to-ear grin on his face. "What's going on in space, Zee?"

"They want to clone me," Zenon said, knitting her brow.

Proto Zoa dropped his grin instantly and leaned forward, furrowing his brow. "Clone you?"

"I know, crazy major, right?"

"Well, it's certainly something which needs time to sink in."

"Zoa, can I trust someone who says their project's gonna be supervised by professionals and expert scientists?"

"That depends on who's saying it, Zenon."

"Commander Plank."

"Never met him, so I can't say."

"Cetus lapetus," she muttered, rubbing her eyes and stretching her neck out. She propped her zap-pad up on her nightstand and buried her face in her hands. "What do I do?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"I'm so clear minor that funny minor is an overstatement extreme, so I zapped you. I didn't know what else to do."

"Why me and not Sage? Or Orion?" Zenon was taken aback by Proto Zoa's bitter voice.

"I'm sorry, okay? You're the first person I thought of."

"But why?"

"I'm in comprehension mode minor right now. All I know is Sage is on Earth and Orion's a lunatic major now."

"I thought you liked at least one of them."

"Past tense, Zoa."

"Well, if I may, what happened to them?"

"Both are cheaters major, and Orion's been grounded. I never asked why."

"I see, and I'm sorry."

"Sweat minor, Zoa. I do."

Proto Zoa took a deep breath, allowing a moment for Zenon to recover from the distant echo of pain the rock star's question had her relive for that moment. "Well, back to this cloning thing, are you allowed to leave the space station for a little while?"

"I think so. Why?"

"I wanted to ask you if you would stay with me for a little while at Nova Linda."

"That sounds stellar major, Zoa. You have no idea."

"Well, I shall see you soon."

"Soon major. Now, I've gotta get some studying done."

"Very well, then."

The screen went blank for a second before she pressed a button and returned to her Advanced Technology homework.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Proto Zoa leapt down from the kitchen counter and walked into the living room, running a hand through his hair. "It doesn't matter what you say, Zenon," he whispered. "I can't sweat minor about you being hurt, and now they want to clone you?"

He instantly set to pacing without fully understanding why, and he chewed his lip almost to the point of bleeding. He eventually picked up his notepad, turned to a blank page, and picked up a pen, with which he poured his soul onto the paper, but he didn't stop pacing, even as he wrote.

When he finished, he drew a small heart in the top right-hand corner of the page.

ZZZ

Zenon packed a few things and made her way down to the loading dock, where her silver pod was parked, and she hopped inside without a second thought and turned it on. She pulled out of the dock as carefully as she could manage and instantly set a course for Nova Linda, on Earth.

As she flew, her mind drifted back to the conversations she'd had a few hours prior. She sifted through what had been said to fully understand it all, and all she managed to understand was that Commander Plank wanted to experiment on her to see if a human clone could be made, and Proto Zoa, of all people, even Sage or Orion, came to her mind first.

It was true, what she told Zoa, about Sage and Orion, she realized. They didn't love her, and she'd been the other woman twice.

She wiped her eyes and forced herself to focus before she lost total control of the pod as it entered Earth's atmosphere. Go slow, she told herself. Take it shallow. She zigzagged through the air over South America, and gradually, the white speck of Nova Linda's roof came into view, and she smiled.

She pulled the pod into a safe landing position and began to find a suitable spot before she was twenty feet above Nova Linda, and when she did land and hop out, she noticed first that Proto Zoa leaned against the door frame and the back door was open. "You're early," he said.

"I needed to get away, and studying wasn't helping much."

"Of course. Textbooks are boring." They shared a laugh and Proto Zoa led Zenon into the living room. "Please tell me you at least got some sleep."

"Sleep was present minor."

"Well, then, if you're tired, there's a guest bedroom down that hall and to your left." He pointed to a hall on the far side of the living room. "First door."

"Zoa, I can't sleep."

"Why not?"

"My mind's busy major like you wouldn't believe." She collapsed on the sofa, burying her face in her hands and leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. "It's just, between the cloning thing and what you said a few hours ago-"

"I'm sorry."

Zenon instantly sat up, turning to stare at Proto Zoa, and an awkward silence descended upon Nova Linda. Proto Zoa looked around and fidgeted a little, and Zenon lowered her gaze, returning her face to her hands. "I'm...I mean...it's my fault, anyway. Sweat minor."

"I can't." He walked around the endtable and sat down next to her on the couch, resting a hand on her shoulder. "You're asking me to 'sweat minor', and you're asking the impossible."

"Sweating minor is easy, Zoa. You hear all the time about rock stars who want to and they take Moods, and even non-rock stars, too."

"You know I don't advocate drugs."

"Look, I just...Zoa..."

"Zee, what's wrong?"

"I don't know. I don't even know if it's wrong."

"How about you go get some sleep."

Zenon nodded, got to her feet, and walked over to the hall.

ZZZ

Lester's transmitter beeped in the middle of his show, but he pressed the button anyway. "Lester," he said.

"Randcaster, it's Plank. She hasn't made a decision yet," the commander replied.

"Well, do you want me to take drastic measures, or do you want me to wait until she decides? I can't wait forever."

"You know there are very strict rules about cloning, Randcaster. Breaking them is punishable by death."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, formalities. My talents give me that crap all day."

"I'm not losing the space station to foreign hands because of your foolish mistake, and I am most certainly not willing to be laser-shot because of it, either. I couldn't be clearer on my position, Randcaster."

"Then I'm guessing we've got differing opinions on this matter. We are now on opposite sides, are we not?"

"I'm just trying to be the ego to your id."

"I don't need a controlling force, Plank. I need Zenon's clone, and I'll get it done myself if I have to."

"This is foolishness, Randcaster. I won't stand for this."

"You will, even if I have to put you to sleep for good to see to that. I'm taking over."

"I'll hold a seance in a month to see how that works out for you." With that, Commander Plank hung up, and Lester was free to return to his show.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Nebula and Margie met in the former's dorm room and the latter asked, "Where's Zenon? She bail extreme on us and head straight for Earth?"

"Knowing Zee, she went to see adorable major Proto Zoa," Nebula replied.

"Whatever happened to Sage?"

"One day, he was just present minor, and she never talked about him again."

"Orion?"

"Grounded."

"Well, at least he has the excuse."

Nebula walked over to one of the couches and plopped down on it. "Say she went to find Zoa. She better be present major for the surprise next week. Any way you have Zoa on your zap-pad?"

"I should." Margie fished out her zap-pad and skimmed through the contents list before pressing a button and sitting down next to Nebula.

"Zee's friends," Proto Zoa said cheerfully. "We've got to be quiet, though. She's asleep."

"Sounds like her," Nebula said. "Studies major all night, sleeps through half the day like a dead planet."

Proto Zoa chuckled and smirked before asking, "Cloning again?"

"Cloning?"

"Cetus lapetus," Margie whispered. "That's why she left. Something about cloning."

"You know about this?" he asked.

"One of the benefits of having a dad in the army."

"Alright. So, if it's not cloning, what prompts the sudden zap?"

"We just wanted to make sure you know Zenon has a surprise party coming up," Nebula whispered after looking around to make sure she and Margie were the only ones present.

"Oo, can I get in on it?"

"You already are," Margie said matter-of-factly, proceeding to mutter something about Proto Zoa being an idiot major.

Proto Zoa rolled his eyes and said, "It better not be tomorrow. I don't think this will be all settled by then."

"We've got eight days," Nebula said.

"In that case, how about you host it here, at Nova Linda?"

"Nova where?"

"His hideout," Margie explained to Nebula. She then said to Proto Zoa, "That might work. You've got the space."

"Space? Exactly how many people are in on this?"

"About half the spay-stay so far."

"Cetus lapetus."

"That sound okay?" Nebula asked, furrowing her brow.

"Actually, it sounds like a lot of fun. I'll even provide entertainment, free of charge."

"Wow, this is easier than I thought," Margie said. "Well, that's all we needed to make sure you knew about that, since we can't tell Zee."

"Alright, then. I'll check in tomorrow and we can put our heads together on this."

"Stellar," Margie said.

"Stellar major," Nebula added, and Proto Zoa smiled before the screen went blank.

ZZZ

Zenon stirred at the strangest sound: the activation of Proto Zoa's front security system. She climbed out of bed and rubbed her eyes, walking out of the bedroom to the living room, where Proto Zoa stood, his brow furrowed, staring out the window.

A fairly tall skinny man with long gray hair stood trapped with half his legs wrapped in pink light, unable to move. "Who's he?" she asked.

Proto Zoa glanced from the man to Zenon before returning his attention to the man again. "Well, that, Zenon, is Lester, my manager."

"Well, what's he doing here?"

"That's my question. I'm supposed to meet him in two days, not the other way around right now."

"What if he's here for me?"

"Why?"

"I'm clear minor, but it's a thought."

"It's a good one, though. I never know what Lester's up to when I'm not looking or too busy to notice."

"That's a good sign minor."

"True."

Proto Zoa walked away from the window and out the mansion, and Zenon opened the window just a little, leaning toward the opening. He walked calmly over toward his manager and asked just as smoothly, "What do you want?"

Lester laughed. "Zoa, baby, c'mon, I jus' want to see how you're doing. See ya got a guest. How's she in bed?" Proto Zoa punched Lester in the face, forcing the latter to bend backwards, and if it weren't for the trap, he would've fallen backwards on his butt in the mud.

Zenon smiled before she could stop herself.

"Are you here for her?" Proto Zoa asked when Lester recovered himself. "If you are, I'll have to kill you."

"You don't wanna do that, Zoa," Lester said.

"Actually I do."

"Look, I'm on an important mission. Obviously I need to go back to the drawing board."

"You won't go back to anywhere, Lester. Not until I'm done with you. You shouldn't have known about this place, so how did you find out?"

"A little birdie told me. Not your girlfriend, of course, but a little birdie nonetheless."

"She's not my girlfriend. Now, call one of your rich contacts for a ride home, because I'm not giving it to you."

Lester fished out a zap-pad and asked for a ride in slightly enigmatic terms, and Zenon watched as a military armored pod floated up to Nova Linda. Proto Zoa gestured for Zenon, and she released Lester from the trap. A pair of highly armed soldiers pulled Lester into the pod and it sped off almost before he was inside.

Proto Zoa walked back into the mansion and the first thing he noticed was that Zenon had gone pale. "Are you alright?" he asked, resting his hands on her upper arms.

"Yeah, fine," she replied, walking deeper into the living room. "You just never told me Lester works for the military."

"Oh, it all makes sense now. Your friends zapped me while you were asleep, and Margie told me something about a cloning project the military was working on. Lester never told me because he was sure that way he could keep it zipped up, and now an armored pod just picked him up."

"What, you think he's in on the whole cloning thing, too?"

"It's a reasonable guess."

"When my family brought me in to talk to me about cloning, Commander Plank said General Hammond was on some important solo mission major." Zenon took a few steps away from Proto Zoa and ran her fingers through her hair. "Cetus lapetus," she said suddenly, whipping around to face Proto Zoa. "This could have something to do with his mission."

"That actually makes a lot of sense when you think about it, but we can't jump to conclusions too quickly."

"I'm still clueless major about whether or not I should be cloned, but this is helping."

"That's good. We just need to be careful, though. What if we're wrong?"

"Then we start from scratch."

Proto Zoa tucked one arm up by his chest, rested an elbow on his wrist, and rested his fingers on his chin. He lowered his hands after a second and said, "Well, then. Zoom, zoom, zoom."

Again, Zenon smiled before she could stop herself, and Proto Zoa smiled back.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Well," the general asked, "are you able to produce favorable results."

"No matter what," Lester replied, "it's a win-win situation. You get your superweapon, and I exact revenge on that girl for working my talent out from under my thumb."

In the half-light, Lester could see the corner of the general's mouth curl in a way that, in spite of his allegiances, chilled him to the core.

ZZZ

Margie paced across the dorm room as Nebula watched him. "What if someone's trying to clone Zenon?" Nebula asked. "Someone from the military?"

"I can't say," Margie said. "I know in Advanced Technology we haven't talked about clones yet."

"Cetus lapetus, that could be it."

"What?"

"They're gonna clone Zenon, use the clone to replace her, and then kill her."

"Cetus lapetus," Margie whispered. "That way it looks like the real Zenon survived and the clone was destroyed, but really it's the other way around, and we're in comprehension mode minor the whole time."

"We've gotta warn Zee."

ZZZ

Zenon's zap-pad went off, so she answered-to Margie and Nebula. "Cetus lapetus," she said.

"Cetus lapetus is right, Zee," Nebula replied. "We think we figured out why they want you cloned."

"It's some kind of military project," Margie added, "and at the end of it, they're gonna kill you to make it look like you survived and they killed your clone so they wouldn't get caught illegally cloning."

"Cetus lapetus," Zenon said again.

Proto Zoa leaned in, his brow furrowed. "So, you're telling us they're out to get rid of Zenon? Why?"

"We don't know yet."

"What about Dasha?" Zenon asked suddenly. "Is she still up there?"

"Sweat minor, Zee. She's still up here," Nebula said, and Zenon breathed a sigh of relief.

"I just wanna make sure she doesn't get caught in the crossfire."

"You're a good cousin," Proto Zoa whispered in Zenon's ear.

"Thanks," she replied in an equally low voice. "On this end, we think Proto Zoa's manager is involved," she said to Margie and Nebula.

"Cetus lapetus, this is confusing major," Margie whispered, running a hand through her hair. "Give us a few days and maybe then we can make heads and tails of it."

"I don't know if we have that kind of time," Proto Zoa said suddenly. "He showed up earlier, and he wouldn't tell me exactly what I wanted to know, which is the truth. An armored pod had picked him up just before you zapped."

"Lester really is involved. Stay close, and we're coming down there."

"Margie, are you insane major?" Zenon asked.

"Zee, we're B.F.'s, so let us help you guys," Nebula said. "We're gonna do what we always do, foil plots and save the world."

"You two stay close, too, and if you do anything idiotic major, don't get caught."

"We won't," Margie said with a salute.

"Yeah, sneaky major," Nebula added, and Zenon couldn't help but laugh. "We'll be down soon, Zee."

"Okay. Let Margie drive. She knows where Nova Linda is."

"I just hope I don't get lost major," Margie said with a laugh.

"We'll give you directions."

"Stellar."

"Be down soon," Nebula said, waving to Zenon before the screen went black.

She turned to Proto Zoa and said, "Step one, find your allies."

"What's step two?"

"Step one's finished minor still."

"How so?"

"I've just got a feeling. Clear minor as to why, but still have a feeling."

"Ah, I see."

Zenon set her zap-pad on the kitchen table before sitting down on the couch. She could feel Proto Zoa's eyes on her even as he sat next to her, but she somehow decided it really wasn't as bad as she thought it was. "I feel so bad for having to ask for your help, Selena," she said, "but I just...I have a feeling that maybe this isn't as bad an idea as it should be."

Ribbons of blue mist trailed into the living room and condenced into the form of a woman in front of the coffee table. "'Bout time you asked," Selena said, and Zenon and Proto Zoa could do nothing but stare, both transfixed.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Zenon, is this a good idea?" Proto Zoa finally managed to ask in a low voice.

"Remember, step one, find your allies," Zenon replied.

"We've drawn up something of a truce when she got Moonstock off my moon," Selena said. "I've been owing her a favor for about seven years."

"I never needed to ask."

"Are these mortals still trying to clone people? They've been at it for almost three years."

"They're trying to clone Zenon now," Proto Zoa said. "We think Lester's got some role backstage, as it were, and the general consensus is it's a military project."

"Not quite, but independent, I suspect. Lester's rich enough to employ servicepeople to do his bidding."

"How does she know this?" he whispered to Zenon.

"Just trust her," the blond replied sharply. "She's a goddess."

"I may be a goddess," Selena said, "which technically makes me a neutral party until I begin to intervene, but I can't do everything. I can, however, tell you this: if it's artificial, it can't feel." Selena's form was lost to ethereal blue ribbons, and her disembodied voice said, "I will be back."

"'If it's artificial, it can't feel,'" Zenon whispered to herself.

"I think she likes you," Proto Zoa said.

"She's not nice major to the point of annoying extreme, but she's not a Jovian moon, either, no pun intended."

He smiled and shook his head.

ZZZ

Proto Zoa lay back in his bed, strumming away on his guitar and softly singing the words he'd written the previous night, trying to find something that sounded just right. He'd been at this for several hours, but he'd failed in finding something suitable, until he slowed his strumming and suited his melody to the song. The words then fit easily, and he found himself able to imbue the song with meaning.

He finished this new version to Zenon clapping just inside his door. "Thanks," he said with a smile. He was thankful the room was dark so she wouldn't see him blushing. "I'm...I'm glad you like it."

"Well, it's pretty."

"Thanks."

"Who's it for?"

"That's a surprise."

"Oh, c'mon."

"You have to wait for next Saturday."

"Why?"

"You'll see, and hopefully this whole cloning mess will be taken care of by then."

"What's so special about next Saturday."

"That, Zenon, is also a surprise."

"Will I hate it?"

"I really, honestly hope not."

"Okay, then. Guess I better get to bed, since you're not telling me anything."

"Sleep well, Zenon."

He chewed his lip as he watched her walk out of his room and down the hall, and he felt like he'd just made a huge mistake.

ZZZ

Zenon lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling and thinking about Proto Zoa's new song. He said he couldn't tell her who he wrote the song for, that it was a surprise, and what was it about next Saturday, anyway? As far as she knew, Saturday was Saturday.

Of course, when was the last time she'd been to her own birthday party? Did she really forget when it was?

"That's rudicrous," she said to herself. "I know when my birthday is. Right? Okay, so I don't exactly. Sweat minor."

Speaking of Proto Zoa, how did she feel about him? Sure, her two favorite songs were Supernova Girl and The Galaxy is Ours, but did that really mean anything? They were written when she visited Proto Zoa, the two times that she has before this, so were they written for her?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sound, this time from inside, so she slipped out and into the hall to investigate.

The platform which led up to the roof was down, and silver moonlight shone in through the opening. She walked over past the platform and down the hall, guided solely by her gut feelings.

She turned at the sound of footsteps from behind, but she could see nothing. The footsteps came again, and she turned another one hundred eighty degrees, but before she could register the presence or absence of any threat, she was grabbed from behind with a knife pressed to her throat.

"This' gonna be real easy if you cooperate with me. I need your consent, remember?" Lester hissed, and the mere sound and tone of his voice sent chills racing up and down Zenon's spine. "C'mon, let me have a sample of your DNA, and this will all be over before you know it. I promise."

She pushed his hand away from her mouth and screamed as loud as she could, and Lester carefully, quickly, and precisely shaved off a small piece of skin before letting her go and taking off.

Her hand covered the small, bleeding spot on her cheek, and Nova Linda fell silent. She walked into the bathroom and searched around for a bandage, using the only one she found to cover her wound.

"Zenon," Proto Zoa called. "Zenon."

"In here," she replied, and he walked up to the bathroom, pressing his hand against the door frame.

"Are you alright? What happened?"

"L-Lester," she whispered.

He stepped into the bathroom, barely touching his fingertips to her cheek. This small action also sent chills up and down her spine, but they were different. This was a good sensation, a stellenarious one, in fact, and Zenon was certain she was blushing. He pulled his hand away and whispered, "He won't get away with this, I promise you."

Zenon found herself speechless, unable to break an exponentially increasingly awkward silence for a very, very long moment. "'If it's artificial, it can't feel,'" she said, hastily adding, "That was random. Sorry major."

"Don't be. It's actually what may save us. I recommend you remember it, and I'll try to do the same."

"Okay." They walked into the hall and walked into their rooms without saying another word to each other.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Margie walked into Advanced Technology and started a blank document in the NoteZapp on her zap-pad. The guest speaker that day gave a generic introduction into clones, the laws regarding them, and the process by which they are made, which she took careful notes of in hopes of gleaning some meaning out of it later.

When she was sure no one was looking, she sent a quick message to Nebula, along the lines of 'We better leave soon.'

Nebula replied almost instantly with, 'Meet me at lunch. We've got adult interference minor.'

'Stellar.'

She continued to take notes as if nothing ever happened, all through both the guest speaker's lecture and the class professor's one, which ate a large chunk of time before lunch, the remainder of which she spent going over her notes.

ZZZ

"Okay," Nebula said when she met Margie in the cafeteria, "I just gave everybody the update on the locale change major for Zenon's party."

"Cetus lapetus, you're on top of things."

"Thanks, but now, we gotta leave, like speed of light fast."

"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm here, isn't it?"

Margie followed Nebula to the loading dock and hopped inside the burnt red colored pod, in the driver's position. Nebula turned the pod on from the passenger seat, and Margie pulled it away from the dock and pointed it toward Earth.

ZZZ

Zenon paced across the kitchen while Proto Zoa practiced in the living room. She fingered the bandage on her cheek, and the wound beneath no longer stung, so this became a marker of progress. Even so, the events of the previous night occupied her mind with such a fervor that if she saw it in another person, the first thing out of her mouth would've been, "Ice." It made sense, though. Proto Zoa couldn't sweat minor because he was worried about her, and now she couldn't ice because she was worried about the future.

And Proto Zoa, she thought suddenly, instantly, and she realized she was right, which added another set of problems to her feverish brain. What if Proto Zoa got caught in the crossfire? What if she lost him to her clone, which was now surely becoming a work in progress? Could she live with herself?

And what if Lester escaped justice for what he's done? What if the people he worked with escaped justice? What if they really did succeed in killing her, if that was the plan? If it wasn't, would they still kill her anyway?

"One thing's mondo-clear," she said. "We're in danger mortis."

Having set that aside, she continued to sort out pieces of recent events that just weren't meshing well together. It'd felt so good when he touched her, and her fingers found their way to her cheek again, but not directly toward the bandage. Rather, she attempted to replicate the pattern of his fingers when they touched her cheek the previous night and helped launch one of the most awkward silences she's ever lived through, and perhaps the longest.

She remembered the moments she'd smiled unexpectedly, and she began to understand their significance with relation to her. Her mind drifted to the conversations they'd shared, the tone of his voice, the way he looked at her. She closed her eyes and lowered her hand, and his face was right there behind her eyelids.

"Zenon," Proto Zoa said from the other end of the table.

"Hey," she whispered, a smile playing at her lips.

"I just noticed that you stopped pacing, and I wanted to make sure everything was alright."

"Yeah, stellar."

Outside, a pod landed on the grass, fairly close by. "That must be your friends."

"I hope so." She walked over to the back door and opened it to two familar faces she wanted to see: Margie and Nebula.

"Cetus lapetus, Zee, what happened?" Nebula asked.

"I think I'm being cloned as we speak," she replied.

Proto Zoa took a step closer, and both girls shrieked, "PROTO ZOA!" He laughed and invited the girls inside, where Zenon and Proto Zoa explained everything as well as they could. When they finished, Margie and Nebula explained everything they knew as of that very moment.

Both parties then entered the notes-comparing phase, where they, as a foursome, reached a few general conclusions relative to the current situation which they felt they could use.

ZZZ

Dasha peered up from her hiding spot behind the endtable up against the wall, watching Mark Karr and Commander Plank huddled over a zap-pad, on which she barely glimpsed a man with long dark hair, and they were engaged in a heated discussion.

"I told you nonconsentual cloning was illegal," the commander snapped.

"I don't care how illegal this is. I have to get this done," the man on the zap-pad replied.

"You're trying to clone my daughter illegally?" Mark shouted, startling the man, but he recovered enough to tell them they were well on the path to succeeding. "That's it, I'm calling the police," he said, getting his own zap-pad out and pressing a button.

"You don't know what you're getting into," the man said, turning his eyes toward Mark.

"I think he knows perfectly well what he's getting into," Commander Plank said, hanging up on the other man as Mark passed on what he knew to the investigator on the other end of the transmission.

Commander Plank walked over to the endtable and set his zap-pad down, and Dasha shrunk away from him, deeper into the corner. She breathed a very quiet sigh of relief when she realized she hadn't been seen, and she waited until Mark and the commander had left before she got out of her hiding spot and walked into her room, where she grabbed her own zap-pad and pressed a button.

Zenon's surprised face appeared on the screen, and she said, "Dasha?"

"Cetus lapetus, Zee, what happened to your face?" Dasha asked.

"Do I have to tell everybody? Lester got a sample from me to make an identical copy of me, and he might actually try to kill me."

"Lester? Who's Lester?"

"Proto Zoa's manager. Old major, with long gray hair, dresses in a suit."

"Oh, he was talking to my dad and uncle earlier. I overheard everything."

"Dasha!"

"Zenon, you're in trouble extreme, because he's actually gonna succeed, so he says. I dunno if he's gonna send it after you, but he's making the clone right now."

"Cetus lapetus. How much time do we have?"

"I don't know, but your dad's calling the police right now. Maybe they can bust Lester before he unleashed his creation on the world."

"That's not gonna happen, Dasha. He's a man on a mission major, and he's working with rogue soldiers to make sure he gets what he wants."

"Cetus lapetus."

"Dasha, you've gotta stay up there and wait this out, okay?"

"Okay, Zee, if I have to."

"Just so you don't get killed, because this could get ugly."

"Zenon, can clones feel?"

"'If it's artificial, it can't feel.'"

"Okay. I better go."

"You stay up there, okay?"

"Okay." Dasha hung up and lay on her bed on her her front, her ankles crossed over her hips.

ZZZ

Zenon returned to pacing again, watched by a worried Proto Zoa and her two confused friends from the space station. "What's going to happen to her now?" she asked.

"If they find out she could die, so we have to figure out how to make this work," Margie said.

"Where's Lester supposed to meet you tomorrow, Zoa?"

"My show in Los Angeles. Why?"

"Where in Los Angeles?"

"Planet's Guide," the three others said at the same time, Proto Zoa matter-of-factly and Margie and Nebula as if it were supposed to be common knowledge.

"Well, it's nice to know I still have devoted fans," Proto Zoa said, and Zenon thought she could hear just a touch of sadness in his voice, even though he smiled.

"So, do we pack up and get ready to leave now, or do we stand around waiting for another opportunity to drop out of the sky?" Margie asked, but Zenon was already on her way out to her pod. "Guess we follow her."

ZZZ

Proto Zoa hopped into the passenger's side of Zenon's pod, and they followed Nebula and Margie north. "Zoa, what's up?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Vega omega, Zoa. I know you're sad about something, but you do a stellar job of hiding it."

"Where does this come from?"

"From what you said earlier about still having fans."

"This could be one of my last professional shows, Zenon. Lester refuses to continue working with me, and I've had to make three comebacks. My fans keep abandoning me," Proto Zoa said softly, looking away from her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Zenon, it's not your fault, and it's not your friends' faults, because you're still with me. Your friends' shrieks proved that, as did your applause last night when I finished putting together on my new song."

"It's not your fault either. You're a stellar performer, and if they knew what kind of person you were, I can't think of anyone who would leave you."

"My father did, when I was fifteen."

Zenon blinked and wiped her eyes. "Sorry I asked," she whispered.

"I'm sorry it makes you sad."

She chewed her lip and sped up a little to make sure she didn't lose sight of the ruddy-colored pod in front of them. He reached over and stroked her upper arm for a second before pulling away, but she couldn't respond.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Selena watched the two pods make their way north, on their way to a battleground hovering a record one hundred ninety-eight feet above the original streets of Los Angeles. She floated in for a closer look at Planet's Guide, which took the appearence of a gigantic auditorium with space right next to the stage for a mosh pit.

A large armored pod floated in from the southeast, and she watched it drop off a tall man in a suit with long gray hair. The man instantly got on his zap-pad and started chewing out various people who left him messages, and when he finished that, he put Proto Zoa on the transmission line.

"Zoa, baby," he said slowly, brightly, as if he'd been in a good mood all day.

"What do you want, Lester?" Proto Zoa snapped.

"Nice to see you're on your way over."

"You attacked Zenon, and I want to know why."

"Look, Zoa, it just needed to be done."

"You're going to end up dead, and I'm telling the police force that's after you exactly where you are as soon as I'm done with you."

"And what are they going to do to me? They can't prove I illegally cloned your girlfriend."

"We can, and you can bet we will."

"What power do you have over me, Proto Zoa?"

"It's not about the power I have over you. It's about justice."

"Forget justice. It hasn't gotten anything done for any of us, and you know it."

"Don't talk to me about the fallacies of justice."

"What are you gonna do to stop me?"

"What are you going to do to stop us?"

"It's not me that's gonna stop you. As soon as you get here, you're gonna get the shock of your life, and so's your girlfriend."

"Actually, we're pretty sure we know what you're up to, Lester. Don't think you're going to trick us."

"You never know. I might just have another trick up my sleeve. Be ready."

Lester hung up and walked around the concert hall as Selena watched from the rafters. Other staff members buzzed throughout Planet's Guide, getting ready for Proto Zoa's show the next day. He, for his part, hopped up on stage and set to pacing, his hands loosely clasped behind his back.

He was definitely a man on a mission.

ZZZ

"Lester?" Zenon asked, and Proto Zoa nodded. "What does he want?"

"I still don't know, but he did mention a huge surprise we were in for when we get to Los Angeles and Planet's Guide."

"Well, let's surprise him in return."

"That's actually a good idea. Now, I've got to contact a certain police squad about a certain cloning incident."

"Go ahead, and sweat minor. It's all gonna be fine."

Proto Zoa managed, after about seven attempts, to get in touch with the leader of the squadron on the manhunt for Lester Randcaster. He relayed Lester's present location to the investigator, and the conversation was over fairly quickly.

"All business major with the police, huh?"

"The more you cooperate, the less they suspect you if you get in trouble."

"Until they catch you in a lie major."

"Good point."

He reached over and touched her arm again, and she rested her hand on his, still managing to keep up with Nebula and Margie. "What time do you want me to be there?"

"Five in the afternoon would be just lovely. I'm supposed to meet my band by then anyway."

"Okay, sounds good." She peered out past the pod in front of her and spotted a massive floating structure with lights which read 'Planet's Guide'. "We're here." She turned on her zap-pad and zapped Nebula's pod. "You know where we can find a hotel?" she asked.

"Does Zoa know of one?" Nebula asked.

"Actually, I do, and it's on me," Proto Zoa said.

"Is he serious?"

"Yes, I am. After all, it's the least I can do."

"Okay, you lead us," Margie said.

Proto Zoa gave Zenon directions, and the ruddy pod belonging to Nebula and also transporting Margie slipped in behind them. They parked at another massive floating structure, this one several stories tall, and Proto Zoa helped Zenon out of the pod. They walked in with Margie and Nebula as a foursome, and he did all the talking, which turned out to be to their benefit, and Proto Zoa led them up to their rooms.

ZZZ

Proto Zoa collapsed onto his bed and rubbed his eyes. Zenon sat on the other bed, watching him and chewing her lip a little. She eventually decided to lay back on her bed in her own right and stare up at the ceiling.

Her eyes drifted closed, and she saw images of a girl with her exact height, dress, and features, right down to the smallest of details. Her clone attacked her, and she fought back with equal ferocity, but she was bested within five seconds, and the clone shoved her into the wall, knocking the wind out of her.

She sat up, in a cold sweat, and she glanced over at Proto Zoa, who was still passed out asleep. She got out of her bed and slipped into his bed right beside him, closing her eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Proto Zoa's eyes fluttered open, and at the same time, he became aware of Zenon's arms around him. He rolled over to find that she was fully awake, and she sat up and got out of his bed hurriedly, blushing heavily. He chuckled and got out of bed, taking a step toward Zenon and holding his arms out. "It's alright," he whispered. "I'm not going to hurt you."

She walked over to him and let him pull her into him and stroke her hair. He ended up twirling a strand of her hair around his finger. "Zoa," she whispered, "what if I don't survive?"

"What makes you think you won't survive?"

"I just had this nightmare where I was killed by myself."

"Clones can't feel, remember? They're aritificial."

"What does that mean?"

"Emotion set us humans apart from every other form of life on the planet."

She pulled away only a few inches and looked up at him. When he met her eyes, she leaned in just a little. "Just in case I never see you again," she whispered, leaning in just a little more. He met her halfway, and his lips met hers. She found herself kissing back and even deepening the kiss before pulling away a long moment later.

"Cetus lapetus," Proto Zoa breathed with a slight smile playing on his lips, and his zap-pad went off. "Excuse me."

"Band stuff?"

"Yeah."

"I'll go down and get some breakfast."

"Alright."

She walked out of the room and down the hallway to a staircase she descended. The breakfast room was on the first floor, right next to the lobby, with an excellent view of Los Angeles. She took two muffins and settled down in front of a holographic replay of one of Proto Zoa's older shows, which featured Supernova Girl, and she waited until that song was over to start her muffins. She tossed the wrappers in the bin and walked upstairs again to rejoin Proto Zoa.

ZZZ

At five, Zenon, Proto Zoa, Margie, and Nebula walked into the Planet's Guide. It was abuzz with people preparing for Microbe's show, and Jeff, the drummer, tossed Proto Zoa his guitar, and rehearsal was officially underway. Margie and Nebula took seats in the auditorium section, but Zenon couldn't leave the open space in front of the stage.

Zenon became acutely aware of a set of footsteps walking over to where she stood, calmly, slowly, and she turned suddenly, meeting the eyes not of Lester, like she expected, but herself.

Proto Zoa called the rehearsal to a halt and leapt off the stage, stepping between the two Zenons. One of the Zenons stepped toward the rock star with a very cold expression and pushed him out of the way with inhuman strenght.

Before the real Zenon could stop herself, she kicked her clone in the chest, and it grabbed her ankle and tossed her into the seats.

Sirens descended on Planet's Guide, and within minutes, investigators flooded the auditorium. The lead investigator shouted, "Where are you, Lester?" and the clone of Zenon took him out with a frightening efficiency.

Proto Zoa ran over to join Zenon, but the clone stopped him, pushing him back against one of the walls. Zenon shot to her feet and lunged toward herself. When it fought her off, though, she forced her way backstage, where she got her hands on a bar and launched an offensive against her clone.

ZZZ

Lester waited in the broom closet until the investigators ran past before he abandoned it in search of another hiding place, when he was frozen in place by the sight of the two Zenons, apparently equally matched in battle. "How?" he whispered.

ZZZ

Proto Zoa recovered himself, his mind firmly on Zenon, and he went backstage. Investigators surrounded Lester, and he tapped the clone Zenon on the shoulder and punched it in the face.

"How'd you know that was the clone?" Zenon asked.

"The cold look in its eyes." The clone got to her feet and turned to face Proto Zoa, tugging playfully at his shirt. When he ripped her hand away from him, he noticed that it was freezing cold and rock hard. "Well, now I know why clones can't feel," he whispered, stepping backwards to stand at Zenon's side. "They're robots.

"Is this the clone in question?" one of the investigators asked as he and a buddy of his surprised and restrained the other Zenon.

"Yes, sir," Proto Zoa replied. One of the investigators took out a laser and shot the clone in the neck, and she collapsed instantly, in a position for them to carry her off, alongside a kicking and screaming Lester. "Wasn't quite the ending to a partnership I expected," Proto Zoa said offhandedly. He turned toward Zenon and rested his hands on her back. "See, you survived after all. Sweat minor."

She smiled and he kissed her again. "Wanna go see them tear up the robot?" she asked.

"Show tonight, remember?"

"Sorry." She buried her face in his chest, and he rested a hand on her head.

"Want to stay backstage tonight?"

"Sure. That's stellar."

"I can't wait for Saturday," he whispered, kissing her on the top of her head.

"What's so special about Saturday?"

"I told you, you'll see."


	9. Epilogue

Epilogue

Zenon walked into Nova Linda after a short walk in the forest and found it seemingly completely empty, despite the abnormal number of pods present. The living room was also dark, but she could clearly see decorations, so she flipped on the nearest lightswitch to see what this was all about.

Eighty-odd people suddenly leapt out of their hiding places and yelled, "Surprise! Happy birthday, Zenon!"

"Cetus lapetus, how could I forget?" she asked, and Proto Zoa led the group in a slightly off-key chorus of 'Happy Birthday', and the party was in full swing.

Several minutes later, Nebula walked over to her and hugged her. "Cetus lapetus, Zee," she said. "Twenty-five at last."

"Did you think I was so reckless major I wouldn't get to this point?"

"No way. Happy birthday, Zee." She walked off and joined the party, and Zenon shook her head and took a seat on the couch next to Proto Zoa.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the birthday girl herself," he said, kissing her.

"You still never told me about that song you wrote."

"I want to sing it to you."

"Vega omega, Zoa."

"Well, I want it to be special."

"Show time," Jeff said, and Proto Zoa picked up his guitar.

"You'll see," he whispered before parting with Zenon.

Microbe filed up onto the makeshift stage on the side of the living room farthest from the couch. The whole room went silent as Proto Zoa strummed the first chord, and the song seemed to flow solely from him, with little help from the rest of his band. It was a slow song, and Proto Zoa's eyes were solely on Zenon as he sang.

She knew he could sing, but she was surprised he could sound that good and mean exactly what he sang with such a purity it had the potential to move even the most stoic of hearts.

Zenon found herself crying, really paying attention to the song, dreading the end, but when he did finish, it was nice and slow, slower than the rest of the song.

Everyone who was sitting stood up as they applauded Microbe, Zenon included, and after he got off the stage, Proto Zoa returned to the couch, propping his guitar on the armrest. "I knew it would be special," he said, pulling her into him for a kiss. Zenon wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a nice hug.

"That was stellenarous," she whispered.

"A really stellenarious song for a really stellenarious girl."

"Aww, thanks."

He kissed her again and let her sit on his lap. "I love you, Zenon," he whispered.

"I love you, too."


End file.
